This document summarizes a presentation on sustainable and organic approaches to managing cucurbit and tomato diseases. The presentation covered important pathogens for tomatoes and cucurbits, their symptoms, spread, survival, and host range. It discussed general control strategies like avoidance, eradication, exclusion and protection. It provided recommendations for specific diseases including using resistant varieties and cultural practices like crop rotation, solarization, grafting and disease-free transplants.
1. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
2012 Sustainable Agriculture Conference
Sustainable and Organic
Approaches To Managing
Cucurbit and Tomato Diseases
Anthony (Tony) Keinath
Vegetable Pathologist
Clemson University
Coastal REC
Charleston, SC
2. Today’s Outline
Intro to Tomato and Cucurbit Diseases
Important Pathogens
Risks to Other Crops
5 General Control Strategies
Avoidance
Eradication
Recommendations for Specific Diseases
“More of what works, less of what doesn’t”
3. Avoid extremes
“You can’t grow organic vegetables in the
Southeast.”
“All diseases can be managed organically.”
13. Symptoms of Important Cucurbit
Diseases
Disease Leaves Crown Vine Fruit
Downy mildew √
Powdery mildew √
Phytophthora crown
√ √ √ √
and fruit rot
Gummy stem blight
√ √ (√) √
and black rot
Anthracnose √ √ √
14. Spread and Survival of Important
Cucurbit Pathogens
Spread
Rain Survive
Disease Organism Wind Splash Water in Soil
Downy mildew Water Mold ** (*) -- --
Powdery mildew Fungus ** -- -- --
Phytophthora
Water Mold
crown and fruit -- * ** **
rot
Gummy stem
blight and black Fungus * ** -- *
rot
Anthracnose Fungus (*) ** -- *
15. Diseases that Affect Both
Cucurbit and Tomato Crops
Phytophthora Southern blight
crown and fruit rot Tomato, pepper,
Pepper, tomato, eggplant
eggplant Snap bean
Snap and lima Jerusalem artichoke
beans Peanut
Root knot
Many broad-leaved
crops
16. 5 General Control
Strategies
Avoidance
Protection
Resistance
Eradication
Exclusion
17. Challenges with Spraying for Organic
Disease Control (Protection)
Favorable environment
Biopesticides usually less effective than
conventional fungicides
Powdery mildew is exception
NOP allows S and Cu only as a last resort
Protectants only
Labels of biopesticides are inaccurate
18. What is AVOIDANCE?
Preventing contact
between pathogen
and host to prevent
disease.
Modifying the
environment to make
it less favorable for
disease.
One of 2 main
strategies for organic
disease control.
Warning: pathogen is
still present!
19. Avoidance Techniques
Change planting date
Raise beds to prevent
damping-off
Avoid wetting leaves when
watering
Mulch to prevent fruit rots
20. Eradication: Length of Crop
Rotations
Foliar pathogens Soilborne pathogens
No long-term survival Various survival
structures structures
Until infested debris is Sclerotia
gone Oospores
≤ 1 yr for bacteria
Dormant mycelia
1-3 yr for fungi and
Cannot eradicate with
water molds
rotation
Can reduce
populations (=
primary inoculum)
21. 2 Crop Rotation and Planting
Schemes for Small Acreages
For foliar diseases: For root and wilt
Spread crops in diseases:
same botanical Group crops in
family far apart same botanical
Slows pathogen family together
spread Rotate away for 3-4
Disadvantage: Makes years
crop rotation difficult Disadvantage: May
increase foliar
diseases in wet years
22. Foliar Soilborne
pathogens pathogens
Separate or Group Related
Tomato Solanaceous
Squash Arugula Cucurbits
Eggplant
Crops?
&
Broccoli Cukes
Pepper
Brassicas
23. Soil Solarization
Sterilizing soil by using
heat from the sun trapped
under clear plastic by the
“greenhouse effect”
Solarize
Solarizing soil potting
is PARTIALLY soil in
effective clear
plastic
bags 2 wk
8
Use 2 weeks
layers in
plastic June-
July
24. Composting to Eliminate
Pathogens
Eradication of Nematodes Fungi Seeds
pathogens in plant 180
debris 160
D
To be safe: e 140
Peak temperatures g 120
147-158 F. for 21 r 100
days e
80
e
Difficult to achieve
s 60
in 1-cu-ft pile
40
Survived: F
20
Fusarium wilt of
tomato 0
25. General Cultural Practices to Avoid
Disease on All Crops
Reduce leaf wetness
•Drip irrigation
•Increase row/plant spacing
•Avoid edges of woods
•Row orientation
Improve soil drainage
• Raised beds
• Add organic matter
• Compost
• Cover crops
26. Controlling Vegetable Diseases-
General Organic Techniques
Bacteria Fungi (true)
Reduce leaf wetness Copper does not work
One- to two-year Sulfur is better option
rotation Water molds
Copper (oomycetes)
Root diseases and Copper
nematodes Potassium phosphite
Improve soil drainage Not organic certified
Increase organic
matter
Resistance
27. General Cultural Practices to
Manage Tomato Diseases
Grafting
•Root knot
•Southern blight
•Fusarium wilt
•Bacterial wilt
•(awaytogarden.com)
High Tunnels
• Prevent fruit cracking
• Reduce foliar disease
• Extend season
• (hightunnel.org, Kansas State)
28. Resistant Tomato Varieties
Resistance Available No Resistance
Spotted wilt Bacterial spot
Early blight Bacterial wilt
Root knot Southern blight
Late blight
‘Mountain Magic’
(campari type) Resistance in All
‘Plum Regal’ Hybrids
Gray leaf spot
Fusarium wilt
Except grapes
29. Gray Leaf Spot
‘Cherokee Purple’ is v. susceptible
2-3 year rotation
Avoid planting tomato and pepper next to
each other
Early planting
Disease is favored by high temp and humidity
31. Phytophthora capsici
Sporangia— Oospore—
• Form on infected plants • Forms in/on fruit
• Spread by/in water • Survives in soil
32. Controlling Phytophthora
crown and fruit rot—
Water management
Raised beds
• Cut water furrows
• Don’t punch holes too deeply
Do not use surface water
Drip irrigation
Avoid planting low areas
33. Controlling Phytophthora
crown and fruit rot—
Soil management
Mulch--Plastic or organic
Wash equipment
• Between fields
• Newly purchased or borrowed
Remove cull fruit
35. Controlling Cucurbit Downy
Mildew
Copper sprays
• On crops other than
cucumber
Avoidance
• Early planting date
Resistance
• C. maxima
• Cucumber cultivars
• Tolerant
• ‘Aladdin’ pumpkin
• Some summer squash cv.
37. Controlling Cucurbit Powdery
Mildew
Biopesticides—spray top and bottom
of leaves
• Organocide (fish oil + sesame oil)
• Potassium bicarbonate
• JMS Stylet Oil or horticultural oil
Sulfur
• Do not apply at 90ºF
Resistant summer and winter
squash and pumpkin cultivars
from Harris Seeds
40. Survival of the GSB Fungus in
Cantaloupe Crowns
Nov 05 May 06 Nov 06 May 07 Nov 07 100
% Crowns with viable D. bryoniae
Soil surface
% Crowns with viable D. bryoniae
90 Plastic mulch
100
Soil surface 80 Buried 5 in.
90 Plastic mulch
80 70
70 60
60 50
50
40
40
30
30
20 20
10 10
0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Weeks after burial Weeks after burial
41. Controlling Gummy Stem Blight
and Anthracnose
Rotate for 3 years
• Summer squash in 2nd or 3rd year
Plant early
Disease-free transplants
Do not reuse plastic mulch
Disk fields to bury debris as soon as
possible after harvest
42. Managing Fusarium Wilt of
Watermelon
Resistant cultivars
Only resist. to race 1
Grafting onto
bottlegourd or hybrid
squash
Both are susceptible
to root knot Crop rotation to
Hairy vetch as winter reduce build-up of
cover crop/green pathogen
manure Works best before
soil is infested
44. Managing Cucurbit Viruses
Spread by Aphids
Resistant cultivars
Check if conventional
or GM
Horticultural oil
sprays
Every other day
Prevent infection
Camouflage
Rye grass between
rows
Kaolin clay sprays
45. Sustainable Disease
Management
Organic soil Cultural
management practices Check plants
• Cover crops • Exclude, weekly for
• Crop rotation • Eliminate and problems
• Compost • Avoid disease
Identify diseases to
Apply select the best
biopesticides control method
preventatively •Bacterium or fungus?
•Water mold or true
fungus?